Spring 2007 Trend Reports: Lounge Lizard

Cavalli has always designed with the restless playboy in mind, and his high-sheen three-piece suit—snug around the middle and flared at the bottom—is tailor-made for a long night on the town.

Photo: Marcio Madeira

Gucci Pour Homme II

When Tom Ford launched the original Gucci Pour Homme fragrance in 2003, he described it as "a very warm, very sexy, very masculine fragrance in the kind of vein that you would have maybe found in the seventies." Ford may have moved on, but that sensibility endures in the sequel scent, arriving this spring and combining notes of tobacco, black tea, and bergamot in a macho, gilded bottle.

Like a lot of their contemporaries, Robertson and his Band-mates started out more granola than lounge lizard. That had all changed by 1976, when Martin Scorsese captured their finale in The Last Waltz. Louche, dandyish, and very rock 'n' roll, Robbie Robertson's farewell getup remains as sharp as the day he wore it.

The Last Waltz, $30, www.amazon.com.

Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

YSL, Dolce & Gabbana, Charvet

A sapphire-on-stone ensemble from YSL provides more flash than many guys can safely handle. If you're man enough, take things a step further with a little silk-on-silk in the form of a Dolce & Gabbana shirt and Charvet scarf. Set it off with seventies-style stubble (i.e., one day's growth—no more, no less).

Christophe Lemaire may be creative director of Lacoste, but lounge lizards are the only reptiles you'll find at his new Paris boutique. Built to showcase Lemaire's own line, the Franklin Azzi–designed shop is done up with seventies-era wallpaper and lamps, an overstuffed chocolate-brown Chesterfield sofa, and a burnished-brass ceiling that shimmers like a disco ball.

Lemaire, 28 rue de Poitou, Paris.

Photo: Dominique Maître

Ligne Roset Facett chair

The Bouroullecs strike again: The French brothers' killer design chops are in full effect in Ligne's futuristic-yet-retro Facett line. And this wire-framed, flat-back piece is surprisingly comfortable given its skinny, quilted upholstery.

From $2,045, www.ligne-roset-usa.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Ligne Roset

The return of the loafer

Want to infuse your look with a dash of the playboy? Slip on a pair of these bad boys. In the case of Ferragamo's sapphire-blue pair (top right) and YSL's deep-red rendition (bottom left), they provide a little color as well. Not that leather loafers necessarily need tassels or bright dyes to stand out: Bottega Veneta's version comes in either somber beige or light green with a wonderfully world-weary patina.

In her first Gucci men's collection, Frida Giannini channeled her early days in seventies Rome for a surprisingly cohesive clash of textures, patterns, and colors.

Photo: Marcio Madeira

Zodiac

Though the focus of David Fincher's riveting new flick may be some serial killer, it's Robert Downey Jr.'s style that has caught our eye: the musketeer-like goatee, jaunty cravat, and wrinkle-free wardrobe. Downey almost makes you believe that a lowly crime reporter could afford to dress that well back in the seventies.

Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

The House Book

With this 1974 tome—consider it Wallpaper done up in a polyester suit—interior-design guru Terence Conran helped defined the aesthetic of the Me Decade. Numerous revisions and updates have been published over the years, but true aesthetes should scour for a vintage copy.

Photo: Courtesy of Phaidon

Patek Philippe Nautilus watch

A jet-set staple when it was first issued in 1976, this hefty, 18-karat gold timepiece was nicknamed the "Jumbo" and (for better or for worse) helped usher in the age of the Super-Size Watch. Reissued last year for its big 3-0, the Nautilus is water-resistant up to 400 feet—a handy trait, even if your idea of deep-sea-diving involves a Jacuzzi and a frisky blonde.

The latest BBC hit to undergo an American makeover, this bizarre cop drama is headed for ABC in the fall and focuses on a man who's transported from the present day back to 1973. In the Brit version, the cars, the clothes, and the vernacular are all period-perfect, and we're hoping its charm doesn't get lost in adaptation.

www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lifeonmars.

Photo: Courtesy of BBC America

Skins game

Despite the best efforts of dour animal-rights types, exotic leather accessories remain a staple of the lu life. No more so than for Spring 2007—as demonstrated by Gucci's decadent ostrich belt, this python-embossed dressing box from Smythson, and Alexandra Knight's lizard-skin card case. Pair them with these shades from Zegna and go out and frighten a vegetarian.

Don't be afraid of the two-tone "suit"—especially when it's in the form of a sharply tailored three-piece like this one from LV. Wear it tie-less with a splashy printed shirt like this spread-collar by Valentino, made from cotton so fine it could pass for silk.

Few designers mine the past with as much skill and wit as Martin Margiela, whose men's collection sought to capture the mood (and mode) of seventies San Francisco. Case in point: this op-art print shirt, which manipulates lines and proportions to eye-blurring effect. Stare at it long enough and you'll see the face of Jimmy Carter.

In theory, a loosely tied cravat and ample collar veer dangerously close to costume attire, but Stefano Pilati knows to tone things down with a sharply tailored blazer and trousers.

Photo: Marcio Madeira

Mika

Equal parts early Elton and eye-shadow-era Bowie, London-based Mika Penniman is one of fashion's latest musical fixations. His theatrical, piano-heavy harmonies and offbeat lyrics snagged him a number-one single in Britain with "Grace Kelly," and his foppish androgyny is currently on display in Paul Smith's spring ad campaign.

Life in Cartoon Motion, $11, out March 27 on amazon.com or available for import from amazon.co.uk.

Photo: Courtesy of Island Records

Hotel Everland

Bearing a striking resemblance to a moon rover from some vintage sci-fi disaster flick, this one-room "hotel" happens to be completely mobile. Current gasp-inducing views come courtesy of its location on the roof of a contemporary art museum in Germany. Come August 5, it'll move to the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

www.everland.ch, $286 per night.

Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Everland

Earnest Sewn white denim

White jeans are in the midst of an extended fashion moment, but nothing we've seen can match the old-school panache of this pair from Earnest Sewn (contrasting navy-blue stitching and ironed-in creases will do that). A tip: Stick with a straight-leg fit rather than the flared model. After all, there's a difference between being influenced by the seventies and reliving them.

Brioni, of course, is the outfitter of choice for the current James Bond, but this raffish look—spread-collar shirt in royal blue, flap-pocket jacket with contrast stitching and built-in belt—would look equally good on Daniel Craig's seventies predecessor, Roger Moore.

With its black velvet walls and black lacquer columns—not to mention a gilded ceiling with an entire houseful of gold-painted furniture bolted to it—this Emmanuel Picault–designed lounge in Mexico City could easily double as a disco-era coke den. Not that we're implying anything.

Cartier's 24-karat-gold link necklace-cum-bracelet treads that razor-thin line between impeccable taste and "Jesus, man, what the hell are you thinking?" Just to show the world you mean business, wear it with a pair of flashy gold cuff links, like these from Tiffany's. (But, unless your last name is "Walnuts," it's probably best to stop short of a pinky ring.)

Sure, Tony Monero wore a white suit, but so did Tony Montana, and almost any other cocaine cowboy worth his stash. As Roberto Cavalli demonstrated this season, the look is best paired with an optical print shirt and a tan.

Photo: Marcio Madeira

Wallpaper from the seventies

Despite it's being based in Germany, the name of this website isn't as literal as you might think. Instead of selling actual smoky-smelling seventies-era wallpaper, the site reproduces iconic designs from the decade for the modern bachelor pad. Whether you also decide to complement those designs with offerings from walltowallshagcarpetingfromthe70s.com is entirely up to you.

Prices vary, www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com.

Photo: Courtesy of www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com

American Gangster

Opening this fall, Ridley Scott's thriller stars Denzel Washington as heroin kingpin Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe, left, as the cop out to nab him. Drugs, guns, and polyester suits dominate the narrative, with Lucas smuggling dope back to America in the coffins of Vietnam casualties—and given the resurgent poppy fields of today's Afghanistan, the story may be more relevant than you think.

Photo: Chris Daniels/Retna

Missoni polo

It may be new for spring, but this Missoni shirt, with its baby-blue-slash-chocolate-brown motif and contrasting patterns, is a sartorial love letter to the Me Decade. To keep things from getting out of hand, match them with something understated, like these rinsed-selvage jeans from Gap's premium collection.

With the press of a button, this 42-inch flat-panel transforms into a large mirror and blends seamlessly into your home decor. (We shouldn't need to tell you this, but it's meant to be mounted vertically, and its LCD screen is most certainly not razor-blade-resistant.)

Approx. $5,500, not currently in production, but still available at various online retailers.

Photo: Courtesy of Philips

Bottega Veneta Spring 2007

Be it a belt, a shoe, or a jacket, exotic skins are in, with Tomas Maier preferring crocodile hides to accent his collection.

Photo: Marcio Madeira

Malaise

Gas prices are high, presidential approval ratings are low, everyone's on drugs, and the shit's hitting the fan in the Middle East—maybe we all just went to sleep and woke up in 1979?